The Director of the Democracy Project at the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Dr John Osae-Kwapong, has described the growing public tension within the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) as a “worrying development” if it is allowed to intensify and overshadow governance.

Commenting on the reported strained relationship and recent exchange of words between Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu and National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketiah on Joy FM’s Top Story programme on Monday, May 25, Dr Osae-Kwapong cautioned party leaders and political actors against allowing succession politics to derail the administration’s focus.

Dr Osae-Kwapong warned that prolonged internal divisions could become a major distraction to the government and potentially affect public confidence in the administration.

“If it continues down this path, if the tensions continue to rise, if there is an internal battle that is going to spill over and start playing out publicly where different personalities would have to take sides, then yes, it is a worrying development, especially when you are also the incumbent party that is governing,” he cautioned.

According to him, while political ambition is natural in every governing party, the timing and manner in which such interests are pursued could create unnecessary divisions and distract from the government’s mandate.

“For me, whatever the underlying issues are or whatever the underlying motives are, whoever is involved or whichever persons are involved in this would want to take a few steps back and think the party first and think the government first,” he stated.

He stressed that discussions about who succeeds President John Dramani Mahama should not dominate the political landscape barely two years into the administration.

“The time to have the succession conversation will come. The time to have quote-unquote that internal battle over who gets to succeed President John Mahama, that time would come, but that time is not now,” he said.

Dr Osae-Kwapong noted that the ultimate judgement would not be based on succession battles, but on the government’s performance and whether it fulfilled the expectations of Ghanaians.

He explained that governing parties often struggle to balance internal political ambitions with the responsibility of governance, especially when potential presidential hopefuls begin positioning themselves early.

Drawing historical parallels, he referenced former President John Agyekum Kufuor and how he handled succession-related tensions within the New Patriotic Party (NPP) ahead of the 2008 elections.

“If you think back to former President Kufuor, one of the things he urged in the party as they were getting close to 2008 was that if you are still in my government but you have political ambitions, feel free to step aside so those of us can focus on governing,” he recalled.

The political analyst argued that party leadership must establish clear guidelines capable of regulating conduct and reducing tensions among ambitious party figures.

“The leadership of the party has to find a way to communicate that message and find a balance,” he said, adding that political actors must be “circumspect” in balancing their ambitions with the responsibility to govern effectively.

The comments come amid increasing political discussions and speculation within the NDC over succession dynamics and future leadership considerations ahead of the 2028 general election, although party officials have publicly maintained that their current focus remains on governance and delivering campaign promises.